Moting apparatus



J- A. STREUN MOTING APPARATUS Jan. 2, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April12, 1948 m m A n m 50% V. B

J. A. STREUN MOTING APPARATUS Jan. 2, 1951 Filed April 12, 1948 3Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR; JoIznA.Streun BY J. A. STREUN MOTING APPARATUSJan. 2, 1951 s Sheets-Shea. 5

Filed April 12, 1948 JNVENTOR. John A Stream 31 dtome yb Patented Jan.2, 1951 UNITED STTE ATENT OFFICE MOTING APPARATUS John A. Streun,Sherman, Tex, assignor to Hard,-

wicke-Etter Company, Sherman, Tex., a corporation of Texas 21 Claims.

The present invention relates to cotton gins of the well-known typehaving gin saws and ribs, with provision for removing lint from the sawsafter the lint is stripped from the seed cotton by passage through theribs. For example, the invention is shownin association with a gin ofthe air blast type, i. e., a type wherein a blast of air is used-to.remove: the lint from the saws, but it will beunderstood that myinvention, which is described in detail below, may, be appiied to othertypes of ginshaving difierent' but equivalent means for removing thelint from the saws.

Myinvention is concerned with improvements in gins of the above typewhich provide for removingv the motes from the: lint and for preventingthe motes from passing outwardly from the gin with the lintthroughthe lint-duct.

Theproblem' with which I' am dealingisone which has been present andappreciated for many years. Many efforts have been made to solve theproblem with varying degrees ofsuccess, but none of these methods haveproved to be entirely satisfactory;

Asis Well-known in the practice of cottonginning, various smaller piecesof foreign matter suclias motesand small pieces of stick and trash maypass through the'ginning ribs, and if special provision is not made forthe'elimination-of such detritus at' some'point on the delivery-side ofthe ginning ribs, such motes and the likewill pass on outwardly throughthe lint duct to the condenser, and will be present in the finalproduct, thus impairing its quality. The problem is particularly acutein the case of air blast gins, or gins having equivalent means, creatinga down draft of airon the delivery side of the ginning. ribs. Such adown draft tends to entrain the motesand other smaller bits'of detritus;with theundesirable: results previously mentioned. It is well-known inthe-art to provide means to receive and carry away motes and the likewhich are thrown bycentrifugaiiorce from the upper edges of the sawsafter they pass through the ginning ribs, but such meanshave notheretofore proved to be entirely successful, in that proper function--ing is impaired by the down draft of the air blast or equivalentmechanism. As stated, the prior art. exhibits numerous attempts to solvethis prob- 1em,includingthe use of special brushes or combs to dislodgethe motes from the saws but without adequate provision for insuring theproper discharge of the motes. Suction has been used for these purposes,various auxiliary air jets have been employed; and mechanical rotatingelements above the air blastmechanismhave been utilized.

Special troughs and conveyors have been positioned-to catch the motes,and special adjustablemote-deflectors have been provided.

One expedient which has been Widely used in connection with this problemis shown in my rior Patent 2,187,867, January 23-, 1940, comprising arotating roller which serves to-throw or boost the motes over into amote, chamber before the motes are subjected to the action of the airblast. to herein as disclosing the general environment of the invention,and the problem which the present invention has solved;

A principal object of the inventionv is to provide effective means forremoving motes and the like from the saws bya controlledsuction actionwhich counteracts'the down draft effect of theair, blast lint removingmeans or its equivalent.

Ancillary to this objective, it is the purpose of the invention toprovide such means capable ofexact regulation whereby the degree'ofmote-removing suction may be adjusted as required by the condition ofthe seed cotton.

It is a further object of the inventionto providea mote removing devicecomprising a rotating wheel intimately associated with the periphery ofthe saws, said wheel having means for receiving motes thrown or drawnfrom the saws and for carrying said motes over into a discharge conduit.In connection with this objective, the invention provides a vacuum wheelwith pockets therein to receive the motes from thesaws. and todeliverthem into asubstantially closed suction chamber. It will be observed asthe description progresses, that the top wall of the suction chamber andthe vacuum wheel are adjustable with respect to one another whereby toregulate the degree of the suction appliedto the motes as'they leave thesaws. The vacuumwheeland the associated end of the suction conduit areadjustable from and toward the saws to regulate. the intensity of theaction of the wheel with respect to the saws.

It Will be understood that the adjustments referred to above andhereinafter described are. of outstanding importance in accomplishingthe results for which the equipment is designed. It. is desirable tohave'all of the adjustments referred to available for use to meetseasonal conditions and variations in theseed cotton being processed. Itis Well-known that the quantity of trash and motes to be removedincreases as the season progresses. Consequently, to adjust the wheelwith respect to the saws and to increase or reduce the suction from themote discharge conduit by ad-:

My said prior patent is referred 3 justing the wheel with respect to thetop wall of the suction conduit is of great importance. Referring to thedrawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a battery of gin stands provided withequipment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is an end elevational view, partly in section, of one gin standof the group.

Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view through one of the ginstands showing the arrangement of the mote removing wheel and motedischarging suction conduit with relation to the saws, it beingunderstood that this view is a representation of the construction ofeach of the gin stands G1, G2, G3 and G4.

Figure 4 is a top plan view of one of the gin stands, partly in section,the section being generally along line 44 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a detail end view showing the adjustable mounting of theshaft for the mote removing wheel and the drive shaft therefor, theparts being viewed from line 5-5 of Figure 3.

Figures 6, '7 and 8 are perspective views of different forms which themote removing wheel may take.

Fggure 9 is a detail view of a form of adjustable shutter which may beprovided at the opposite ends of the mote discharging conduit.

Referring to Figure 2, a cotton gin of the general type of the StreunPatent No. 2,187,867 is disclosed. As is well-known in the art, such agin includes a roll box If] and a plurality of closely spaced ginningsaws I2 mounted on a shaft I4, the saws passing through spaced ginningribs I6 carried by the frame. Referring to Figure 3, the lint is removedfrom the saws by a conventional air blast or jet I8 through which air isdelivered under pressure tangentially of the saws. This air underpressure comes from a blower or the like which delivers air from a largechamber 20 through the passage 22. The lint is carried from the saws bysuction applied through the lint duct 24. The shaft is driven in anysuitable manner, such as by a motor connected by a belt or the like withone end I5 of the shaft. Shaft I4 is provided with flexible couplingsbetween the gin stands.

It will be understood that the blast of a r through the nozzle I 8creates a down draft which normally tends to draw motes thrown from thesaws into the lint duct 24. As the saws i2 rotate at high speed, theypass through the ribs #5, and motes are discharged by centrifugal forcefrom the saws adjacent the upper edges thereof approximately in the topmoting zone indicated by the arrow leading from the numeral 26.

In order to provide for the removal of the motes as thrown or drawn fromthe saws, I provide a longitudinally extending trunk 28, locatedsubstantially centrally and passing through all of the gin stands. Anytype of conveying means may be provided in this trunk to carry away themotes and trash delivered thereto. Figure 1 shows the arrangement of thetrunk 28. At some convenient point, such as between the two middle ginstands, trunk 28 is provided with a pipe 39 connected with a suctiondevice such as a power driven blower 32. When the blower 32 isoperating, a suction is created in the trunk 28, and this suction actsthrough the mote discharging conduit C (Figure 3) which extends upwardlyfrom the pipe 28 in each gin stand to entrain the motes and trash whichare discharged from the gin saws I2. As illustrated in Figure 9, theopposite ends of the pipe or trunk 28 are closed by 4 adjustable shuttercaps so that said ends can be entirely closed, or can be opened inregulated degrees to adjust the amount of air drawn into the trunkthrough these ends and thus to regulate the suction in the conduits C.

While shown only in cross section in Figure 3, it will be understoodthat the mote discharging conduit C extends throughout the entire lengthof each gin stand, between its end walls, and the trunk 28 is open as at36 to the conduit C throughout the length of each gin stand.

The conduit C has a. lower portion formed by plates 38 connected. withthe trunk 28. These plates are connected in any suitable way as byflanges and bolts 40 with adjustable upper plates 42 and 4%. The plate32 terminates in a curved section 46 which forms the inner or bottomwall of the entrant end of the conduit C, while the plate 44 has acurved top plate or door 28 hinged thereto as at 59. The curved plate ordoor 48 forms the outer or top wall of the entrant end of the conduit C,and is adjustable in a manner hereinafter described.

Located in the entrant end of the conduit C and extending throughout thelength of the gin is a mote removing wheel W. This wheel may be ofvarious constructions. I have shown it as comprising an octagonal woodenshaft 52 provided at spaced points with suitably retained radiallyoutwardly extending vanes 54. These vanes may be made of sheet metal, orof rubber or the like. It will be understood that the wheel extendsthroughout the length of the gin stand, and forms a blockade or valveentirely across the entrant end of the conduit C. The wheel is mountedfor rotation on an individual shaft 56 which passes through each gin andthis shaft is adjustable in a manner hereinafter described.

The seed cotton is placed in the roll box I 0 and is acted on by thesaws I2, the latter being discs about twelve inches in diameter whichrevolve at high speed in the clockwise direction indicated by the arrowin Figure 3. The periphery of each saw is covered with teeth, about 282per saw, and the saws may be driven at approximately 700 revolutions perminute. The saws pass through ginning ribs I6, which are spaced betweenthe saws in a grate-like manner, the ribs being of such thickness as tofill the space between the saws, the latter being about threefourthsinches apart. As the saws revolve, the teeth strip the lint from theseeds, the seeds being prevented from passing through the ribs l6, andthe lint which clings to the saw teeth is removed therefrom by a strongnarrow blast of air from the nozzle I8. The lint passes into the lintflue 24 as previously described. As the saws move through the ribs I6,motes as well as hard ends of seed and trash cut up in the roll box arethrown from the saws by centrifugal force against the wheel W. Theaction of the jet I8 or induced suction in the lint duct 24 tends todraw the motes downwardly as counteracted by the suction from the motedischarging conduit C. The wheel W is power driven to rotate in theclockwise direction indicated by the arrow, and the pockets in the wheelbetween the vanes 54 receive the motes and boost them over into theconduit C. It will be noted that the suction applied through the wheel Wis at the top thereof, for the vanes 54 are of such length that theymove along and in contact with the curved plate 46. In normal operation,the top Wall or door as of the conduit may be adjusted to be in spacedrelation to the ends of the vanes St, to provide top suction asportrayed in Figure 3.

The end of the door 48 is provided with ad'- justable screws 60 whichcan be lengthened or shortened in their protrusion from the forward faceof: an angular extension 62 on the door for the purpose of adjusting theposition of the top.

wall of the entrant end of the conduit C with respect to the vanes ofthe wheel W. Ihe ends. of the screws 66 are positioned to engage theface of an angle member 64 on the frame of the machine for the abovepurposes.

The front plates 42 and 46- ofthe upper portion ofthe conduit C areprovided at their opposite ends with respective attaching brackets 66and 68. These brackets are provided with slots as shown, andv suitablecap screws are used to adjustably' attach the plates to the end walls ofthe frame of the gin stand". The brackets can be adjusted so as tomovethe curved plate 46 from and toward the periphery of the-saws.

Similarly, the opposite wall 44 of the conduit has end brackets t6,similarly provided with slots T2 and associated cap screws, whereby thiswall may be adjusted from and toward the sawteeth with the wall 42.

As best shown in- Figure 5, the shaft 56 on which the wheel W is mountedis journaled' in small supporting bearing plates i5, and these bearingplates have slots 12 therein whereby capscrews 1 it may be released andtightened to adjust the position of the shaft56laterally from and towardthe saws. Elongated slots 1.6 are provided in the end walls of the frameto; permit limited shift,-

ing movement of the ends of the shafts 56 which.

are supported in these walls. It will be understood that the wheel W isthus adjusted from and toward the saws with, that portion of thedischarge conduit C which is defined by the walls 42, 44:, 46 and 48.The adjustable top wall 48 or door, because it is hinged, may be openedto. the dotted line position shown in Figure 2 for access to the partswhich have been described.

By means of the screws 60, the door 48 canbe adjusted between a positionwhere it contacts the ends of the vanes 54 to a position where it issomewhat widely spaced from the ends of said vanes.

The shaft 56 of the wheel W in each ginstand is driven from a driveshaft 80 which extends throughout the entire battery of gins, therebeingflexible couplings 82 on this shaft, between the respective gin stands,in order to accommodateany unevenness in their settings. The shaft 86'is driven from an end pulley 84 (Figure 1) in any convenient manner. Thepulley 84 may be driven by a belt from. a suitable pulley on the gin sawshaft l4. Each shaft 56 in each gin stand is driven through a belt orchain 66 as best shown in Figure 2, there being respective sprockets. onthe shafts 86 and 5,6. As illustrated in Figure 5, the shafts 66 are journaled in sup.- porting plates 88. adjustably fixed on the end wallsofthe respective gin stands, so that, shaft 80 may be adjusted withshaft 56 from and toward the gin saws. Plates. 68 are adjustably mountedon the frame as described for. the similar plates 12.

The invention is not confinedto any particular type of vacuum wheel. InFigure 6, the wheel is shown consisting of an octagonal woodenshaft 52,andvanes 54 consisting of metal or rubber sheets bent backuponthemselvesaresecured between. the. separate longitudinalsentionswhich assatsd torm: the wooden sha-ftBZ. In. Figure 7, atsimir la-rarrangement. is shown except. that the vanes; areformedof asinglethickness of metal, rubber, or the like suitably attached tothewooden shaft. In Figure 8-, the centralwooden shaft 9|).v may be acylindricali member and the: vanes, are formed, by a continuous sheet ofmetal, or the like, which is bent into star-like: design (in crosssection) around the shaft: and: suitably secured thereto, the pointsof'the. stars being formedof two plies. of the material foldedintocontact as indicated at 92.

In operation, suction is applied to the mote removing conduit C bythefan 32 at the time the ginning operation commences. This. suction isapplied through the conduit C to the space above the wheel W dependingupon the adjust ment of the door 48: with respect tov the wheel. As theginning continues, the saws throw motesand, trash into. the pockets ofthe wheel W and the rotation of this wheel at proper speed and in thedirection shown delivers the motes. intothe discharge conduit C, fromwhich they are carried through. thetrunk 28 to a point of, disposaloutside of the gin house. In, the case of clean, early cotton, the top.door 46. may be adjusted so: that it is in substantial. contact with.the outer edges of the vanes. 54 of the wheel W. In this case, thesuction of. the; fan 32 is only used to convey the. motes from, the,conduit C, the mechanicalaction of the. wheel being relied, on todeliver the motes into, the suction conduit.

When it is necessary to increase. the moting action, the door. 48 isadjusted outwardly from the. periphery: of the wheel W by the screws 60shown. in Eigure 3, whereby suction is applied in the moting zone. 26from above the wheel W;

Thus, the movement of the motes is assisted by suction applied from the.direction toward which the .motesarenormally moving as discharged bycentrifugal. force from the saws, this suction counteracting the.tendency of the motes to drop under the influence of the air jet [6.

If the cotton is quite trashy, it may be found tebe. necessary toadj-ustthe wheel W toward the; saws, perhaps to an extent where the ends of thevanes 54 are almost touching the periphery of: the saws." Thus, thesevanes act as a whipping: board to loosenthetrashv and motes fromthelint. Fluily' pads of cotton clinging to the saws. arethus freed frommotes and trash and from hard premature lumps of inferior lint as wellas. sticks, shale and other impurities. This regulation is accomplishedby bodily adjusting the entrant end of the conduit C comprising theplates 42, 44,746 and the door 48, as well as the wheel W, with respectto the saws, in the manner previously described.

As mentioned above, the adjustments described may be made as necessaryduring-the ginningseason and as governed by the condition of the seedcotton. When the door 48 is adjusted to provide suction from the conduitC, this suction is applied high up in the interiorv of the gin stand anddirectly in the path of the motes discharged from the saws l2. Thecurveddoor 48v guides the motes toward the wheel W, and the. suction. isintense near the upper path of the vanes 54 of the wheel.

Depending on the position of the wheel W, it acts ina controlled mannerboth to beat the motes from the saws and to convey these motes tothe-conduit C.

The. vaeuumwheel W in effect. constitutes an 76 adjustable. valve;.providing .a. relatively; narrow.

suction opening adjacent the outer or top wall 48, whereby the suctionis applied with effective intensity, yet the continuous movement of thewheel prevents any accumulation in or clogging of the restrictedopening, the vanes 54 being thoroughly cleaned as they sweep through theconduit C.

I have found that the suction action as described serves not only togreatly increase the amount of motes removed from the lint, but also toyield a cleaner sample of lint with the dark dust removed therefrom.

As illustrated in Figure 3, the curvature and length of the plate 48 andthe arrangement of the vanes 54 is such that there is always one suchvane in position to define the lower edge of the adjusted restrictivesuction opening, yet each such edge is constantly moving and iscontinuously replaced by a following edge to prevent the accumulation ofmatter and the clogging of the opening,

I have found that the apparatus operates satisfactorily if the wheel Wis driven at approximately '75 revolutions per minute, although thewheel may be driven somewhat faster or somewhat slower than this speed.An important object of the invention is to provide such a wheel whichcan b positioned with its vanes close to the periphery of the saws inorder that such vanes, particularly when made of metal, may act as awhipping board or a revolving stripper knife to aid in beating the dustor motes out of the cotton. It has been a custom to use a stationaryknife set rigidly closeto the saws so that the lint on the saws iswhiped to remove motes and trash therefrom, but the action of my wheelis far superior to these prior art devices, in that the wheel and thevanes may be adjusted into close relation to the saws and driven at suchspeed as to cause the vanes to act as rapidly moving whipping boards forstripping the loose motes and trash from the lint on the saws, itfurther being noted that the vanes are positioned and rotate in suchdirection as to carry the motes and trash upwardly and over into theconduit provided for the disposal of this matter.

I claim:

1. A cotton gin comprising a frame, a ginning assembly comprising aplurality of gin saws mounted for rotation in said frame and associatedginning ribs therefor, means on the discharge side of said ribs adjacentthe periphery of said saws for removing lint therefrom and fordelivering same into a lint duct leading from the gin, said means beingoperable to create a current of air in a direction away from said sawsto facilitate the removal of the lint therefrom, a mote dischargeconduit having an entrant opening positioned adjacent the periphery ofsaid saws to receive motes and trash discharged from said saws betweensaid ribs and said lint removing means, means for applying suction tosaid conduit to move the motes therethrough, and a mote dischargingwheel mounted for rotation on said frame in the entrant opening of saidconduit, said wheel having vanes which pass said saws but are out ofcontact therewith, and pockets between said vanes to receive motes drawnfrom said saws and to deliver the motes to said conduit for dischargetherefrom.

2. A cotton gin comprising a frame, a ginning assembly comprising aplurality of gin saws mounted for rotation in said frame and associatedginning ribs therefor, means on the discharge side of said ribs adjacentthe periphery of said saws 8 for removing lint therefrom and fordelivering same into a lint duct leading from the gin, said means beingoperable to create a current of air in a direction away from said sawsto facilitate the removal of the lint therefrom, a mote dischargeconduit having an entrant opening positioned adjacent the periphery ofsaid saws to receive motes and trash discharged from said saws betweensaid rib and said lint removing means, means for applying suction tosaid conduit to move the motes therethrough, said entrant opening beingpositioned to cause the suction applied to said conduit to counteractthe effect of the air current created by said lint removing means onmotes discharged from said saws, and a mote discharging wheel mountedfor rotation on said frame in the entrant opening of said conduitadjacent said saws but out of contact therewith, said wheel havingpockets to deliver motes drawn from said saws into said conduit.

3. A- cotton gin comprising a frame, a ginning assembly comprising aplurality of gin saws mounted for rotation in said frame and associatedginning ribs therefor, means on the discharge side of said ribs adjacentthe periphery of said saws for removing lint therefrom and fordelivering same into a lint duct leading from the gin, said means beingoperable to create a current of air in a direction away from said sawsto facilitate the removal of the lint therefrom, a mote dischargeconduit having an entrant opening presented toward the periphery of saidsaws between said ribs and said lint removing means, means for applyingsuction to said conduit to mov the motes therethrough, said conduithaving an upper wall at its entrant opening positioned in substantiallyhorizontal alignment with the top peripheral edges of said saws as theypass through said ribs, a valve member disposed in the entrant end ofsaid conduit, and means for adjusting said valve member and said upperwall with respect to one another to vary the extent of the opening tosaid conduit adjacent said upper wall, whereby to regulate thecounteracting effect of the suction applied to said conduit against theair current created by said lint removing means and to thus controlentry of motes thrown from the top periphery of said saws into saidconduit.

4. A construction in accordance with claim 3 wherein means are providedto continuously move said valve member with respect to said upper wallto prevent the accumulation of matter in and clog ing of said opening.

5. A cotton gin comprising a frame, a ginning assembly mounted in saidframe comprising a battery of saws mounted for high speed rotation and aplurality of associated ginning ribs, means on the discharge side ofsaid ribs for removing lint from said saws and for delivering same to alint duct leading from the gin, a mote discharging conduit in said framehaving an entrant end presented to the periphery of said saws to receivemotes and trash discharged from said saws between said ribs and saidlint removing means, means for applying suction to said conduit to movethe motes therethrough, a mote discharging wheel mounted for rotation onthe frame substantially within said conduit, said wheel having pocketsto receive motes thrown from said saws and to deliver the motes to saidconduit for discharge therefrom, the mounting for said wheel includingmeans for adjusting the same in the entrant end of said conduit from andtoward the periphery of said saws.

76. A cotton gin comprising a frame, a ginning :9 assembly comprising aplurality of gin saws mounted for rotation in said frame and associatedginning ribs therefor, means on the discharge side of said ribs adjacentthe periphery ,of said .saws for removing lint therefrom and. fordelivering same into a lint. ductleading from the gin, said means beingoperable to create a current of air in a direction away from said sawsto facilitate the removal of the lint therefrom, a :mote dischargeconduit having an entrant opening positioned adiaoent the periphery ofsaid saws to -.receive-motes: and trash discharged from .said sawsbetween said ribs and said lint removing means, means for applyingsuction to said conduit to move the motestherethrough, and a valvemember in the entrant opening to .said conduit comprising .a plurality:Qf arranged to substantially close said entrant open- 7 ing and meansfor moving said vanes through ,said entrant opening in a, path outsideof said periphery .of said saws and the direction of travel of the:motesfrom saidsaws to said conduit.

7. ,A cotton gin comprising a frame, a ginnin assembly comprising aplurality of gin saws .mounted for rotation in said frame and associatedr-i-bs therefor, means on .the discharge side .of said ribs adjacent theperiphery of said saws for removing lint therefrom and for deliveringsame into a lint. duct leadin from gin, said means bein to create -acurrent of in a, direction away from said saws to facilitate the remoyalof thelint therefrom, a mote discharge eonduit having. an entrantQpening positioned .adiacent the periphery of said saws to receive malesand trash discharged from said saws between ,said and said lint removingmeans, meansfor applying suction to said conduit tomove the motestherethrough, said entrant opening "being in part defined by a top wallcarried by the and a valve memher in said entrant opening comprising acarrier and a plurality of vanes arranged thereon to successivelyapproach-said periphery of said saws and said top wall to substantialcontact therewith, and means for moving said carrier and thereby saidvanes through said entrant opening in the direction of travel of themotes from said saws to said conduit.

8. A construction in accordance with claim '7 wherein means are providedfor relatively adjusting said carrier and said tcp=wa-1l from and towardone another to provide a narrow regu- "lated suction opening betweensaid vanes and said top wall.

9. A cotton gin comprising a frame, a ginning assembly comprising aplurality of gin saws mounted for rotation in said frame and associatedginning ribs therefor, means on the discharge side of said ribs adjacentthe periphery of said saws for removing lint therefrom and fordelivering same into a lint duct leading from the gin, said means beingoperable to create a current of air in a direction away from said sawsto facilitate the removal of the hut therefrom. a mote discharge conduithaving an entrant opening positioned adjacent the periphery of said sawsto receive motes and trash discharged from said saws between said ribsand said lint removing means, means for applying suction to said conduitto move the motes therethrough, and a valve :member in the -entrantopening to said conduitcomprising a carrier having -a plu- TGIIitYqOfvanes thereon arranged-to substantially close said opening svithoutcontacting said saws,

i0 and means for moving said carrier to (thereby successively move saidvanes through said entrant opening in the direction of travel of themotes from said saws to said conduit.

10. A cotton gin comprising aframe, a ginning assembly comprising aplurality of gin saws mounted for rotation in said frame and associatedginning ribs therefor, means on the discharge side of said ribs adjacentthe periphery of said saws for removing lint therefrom and fordeliveringsame into a lint duct leading from .the gin, said means beingoperable to create a current of air in a direction away fromsaid saws tofacilitate the removal of :the lint therefrom, a mote discharge conduithaving an entrant opening positioned adjacent-the periphery of said sawsto receive motes and :trash discharged from said saws between said ribsand said lint removing means, means. for applying suction to saidconduit to move the, motes therethroughand a valve member forcontrolling the entrant opening to said conduit, said lvalve membercomprising a horizontal shaft and spaced radial wanes thereon arrangedto substantially close said .entrant opening without contacting.saidsaws, and means for rotating said shaft torsuccessivelyimove :saidvanes through :said entrant opening in :the direction of travel of themotes from said same to said conduit.

11. -A construction zinraccordance with claim i0 wherein said entrantopening is'in part defined -by a top wall and wherein means are providedfor relatively adjusting said valve member and said top wall from andtoward one {another $0 provide a regulated narrow suction openingbetween said vanes and said top wall.

7 12. A cotton gimcomprisinga frame, a ginning assembly comprising aplurality of gin saws mounted for rotation in said frame and associatedginning ribs "therefor, :means ion .the discharge side of said ribsadjacent the periphery ofsaidsaws for removingflint therefrom and "fordelivering same into :alintductleading from .the gin, said means beingoperableto create a current of air in a direction away from said saws tofacilitate the removal {Of the lint therefrom, a mote discharge conduithaving an entrant opening positioned adjacent the @periphery of saidsaws between said ribs and said lint removing means, means for applyingsuction to said conduit to move the motes therethrough, the entrant endof said conduit being defined by an outer wall anda curved inner .wall,a moting wvheel disposed in the entrant end of said conduit comprising-ashaft mounted for rotation insaid frame and radial vanes on said shaftwhich substantially close said entrant opening without contacting .saidsaws, vsaid vanes 'being arranged to contact and seal against .saidcurved inner wall, and means for rotating said shaft in the samedirection as said saws, said wheel having pockets therein between saidvanes to receive motes discharged from said-saws and to deliver same tosaid conduit.

13. A constructionin accordance with claim .12 wherein said outer-wallis a l'u tablewith-respect to the peripheral edges of saidvanes toprovide a narrow suction opening above saidwheel to draw the motesdischarged from said saws into said conduit.

14.- A construction in accordance with claim 12 wherein said outer andinnerwalls and said wheel are adjustable from and toward said saws.

15. A cotton gin comprisinga frame, a ginnin assembly comprising aplurality of gin saws mounted for rotation in said frame and associatedginning rib-s therefor, means on the discharge side of said ribsadjacent the periphery of said saws for removing lint therefrom and fordelivering same into a lint duct leading from the gin, a mote dischargeconduit having an entrant opening positioned to receive motes and trashdischarged from said saws between said ribs and said lint removingmeans, means for applying suction to said conduit to move the motes andtrash therethrough, a mote discharging wheel mounted for rotation insaid frame between the periphery of said saws and the entrant end ofsaid conduit, means for rotating said wheel in the same direction asthat of said saws, said wheel having spaced vanes thereon defining moteand trash receiving pockets therebetween and positioned to pass theedges of said saws 'in close relation thereto but out of contacttherewith to beat the motes and trash from the lint on said saws and todischarge same into said conduit.

'16. A construction in accordance with claim 15 wherein means areprovided for adjusting said wheel and its vanes from and toward theperiphery of said saws to vary the intensity of the beating action ofsaid vanes.

17. A cotton gin comprising a frame, a ginning assembly comprising aplurality of gin saws mounted for rotation in said frame and associatedginning ribs therefor, means on the discharge side of said ribs adjacentthe periphery of said saws for removing lint therefrom and fordelivering the same into a lint duct leading from the gin, said meansbeing operable to create a current of air in a direction away from saidsaws to facilitate the removal of the lint therefrom, a mote dischargeconduit having an entrant opening positioned adiacent the periphery ofsaid saws to receive motes and trash discharged from said saws betweensaid ribs and said lint removing means, means for applying suction tosaid conduit to move the motes therethrough, said entrant opening beingpositioned to cause the suction applied to said conduit to counteractthe effect of the air current created by said lint removing means onmotes discharged from said saws, a mote discharging wheel in the entrantopening of said conduit for delivering into said conduit the motes drawnfrom said saws, said wheel substantially closing said conduit openingand comprising a shaft mount-ed for rotation on said frame and aplurality of mote beating elements extending radially from said shaft,the outer ends of said elements moving in a path adjacent to but outsidethe periphery of said saws, and means for rotating said shaft.

18. A cotton gin comprising a frame, a ginning assembly comprising aplurality of gin saws mounted for rotation in said frame and associatedginning ribs therefor, means on the discharge side of said ribs adjacentthe periphery of said saws for removing lint therefrom and fordelivering the same into a lint duct leading from the gin, said meansbeing operable to create a current of air in a direction away from saidsaws to facilitate the removal of the lint therefrom, a

'mote discharge conduit having an entrant opening positioned adjacentthe periphery of said saws to receive motes and trash discharged fromsaid saws between said ribs and said lint removing means, means forapplying suction to said conduit to move the motes therethrough, saidentrant opening being positioned to cause the suction applied to saidconduit to counteract the eflfectof the air current created by said l nt76- moving means on motes discharged from said saws, a mote dischargingwheel in the entrant opening of said conduit for delivering into saidconduit the motes drawn from said saws, said wheel comprising a, shaftmounted for rotation on said frame, and a plurality of mote beatingelements extending radially outwardly from said shaft, said elementsbeing spaced around said shaft to provide pockets which are open attheir outer ends and which extend substantially continuously throughoutthe length of said shaft to receive motes drawn from said saws and toconvey them to said conduit, and means for rotating said shaft.

19. A cotton gin comprising a frame, a ginning assembly mounted in saidframe comprising a battery of saws mounted for high speed rotation and aplurality of associated ginning ribs, means on the discharge side ofsaid ribs for removing lint from said saws and for delivering the sameto a lint duct leading from the gin, mote discharging conduit in saidframe having an entrant end presented to the periphery of said sawsbetween said ribs and said lint removing means, means for applyingsuction to said conduit to move the motes therethrough, a motedischarging wheel mounted for rotation on the frame in the entrantopening of said conduit, said wheel comprising a shaft and a pluralityof mote beating elements extending radially outwardly therefrom, saidelements being spaced around said shaft to provide pockets which areopen at their outer ends and which extend substantially continuouslythroughout the length of said shaft, the mounting of said wheelincluding means for adjusting the same in the entrant end of saidconduit from and toward the periphery of said saws.

20. A cotton gin comprising a frame, a ginning assembly comprising aplurality of gin saws mounted for rotation in said frame and associatedginning ribs therefor, means on the discharge side of said ribs adjacentthe periphery of said saws for removing lint therefrom and fordelivering the same into a lint duct leading from the gin, said meansbeing operable to create a current of air in a direction away from saidsaws to facilitate the removal of the lint therefrom, a mote dischargeconduit having an entrant opening positioned adjacent the periphery ofsaid saws between said ribs and said lint removing means, means forapplying suction to Said conduit to move the motes therethrough, saidentrant opening being positioned to cause the suction applied to saidconduit to counteract the effect of the air current created by said lintremoving means on motes discharged from said saws, and a motedischarging wheel mounted in the entrant opening of said conduit andhaving a plurality of mote beating elements attached at their inner endsto said wheel and extending radially outwardly from said wheel, saidelements being spaced around said wheel to provide pockets which areopen at their outer ends and which extend substantially continuouslythroughout the length of said wheel to deliver motes drawn from saidsaws into said conduit.

21. A cotton gin comprising a frame, a ginning assembly comprising aplurality of gin saws mounted for rotation in said frame and associatedginning ribs therefor, means on the discharge side of said ribs adjacentthe periphery of said saws for removing lint therefrom and fordelivering the same into a lint duct leading from 7 th s S id meansbeing operable to create a 13 current of air in a direction away fromsaid saws to facilitate the removal of the lint therefrom, a motedischarge conduit having an entrant opening positioned adjacent theperiphery of said saws between said ribs and said lint removing means,means for applying suction to said conduit to move the motestherethrough, a mote discharging member having a plurality of vanesextending therefrom which define mote receiving pockets therein, saidmote discharging member being mounted in the entrant end of saidconduit, and means for moving said vanes through said entrant opening ina path outside of said periphery of said saws and in the direction oftravel of the motes from said saws to said conduit, said member havingmounting means for adjusting it into close relation out of contact withthe periphery of said saws.

JOHN A. STREUN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 93,057 Clement July 27, 18691,087,831 Rozier Feb. 17, 1914 2,174,143 Streun Sept. 26, 1939 2,204,803Griffin June 18, 1940 2,290,405 Carr et a1 July 21, 1942 2,328,126 Carret al Aug. 31, 1943

